SheBelieves Cup is arguable the most prestigious competition in women’s soccer. You can think of its as a women’s version of the FIFA World Cup. However, the formats of these two championships are very different. SheBelieves Cup, for once, features only four teams. However, those teams are usually the best that women’s soccer has to offer, which is why SheBelieves Cup betting is getting increasingly popular.
If you would like to learn more about this competition, as well as get some info about prop bets in women’s soccer, you better keep on reading!
SheBeleives Cup in a Nutshell
Unlike the FIFA World Cup and most other men’s soccer tournaments, the women’s SheBelieves Cup is an invitational competition. What this means is that teams do not qualify for this tournament. Instead, they get an invitation from the tournament organizers.
Usually, only the best national teams in the world get invited, or at least those from the Top 10 Ranking made by FIFA. At least that’s been the case over the last five years, ever since the initial SheBelieves Cup took place in 2016.
Past Winners
- SheBelieves Cup 2016 – United States
- SheBelieves Cup 2017 – France
- SheBelieves Cup 2018 – England
- SheBelieves Cup 2019 – United States
SheBelieves Cup of 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 edition, however, is going according to the plan. If nothing changes, it will begin on February 18 and finish seven days later.
SheBelieves Cup 2021
The 2021 SheBelieves Cup will take place in Orlando, Florida. The only venue where all the games will be played is the Exploria Stadium, a soccer stadium that serves as the home ground for the MLS franchise Orlando City SC.
The cup starts on February 18, 2021, at 4:00 pm (Eastern Time) with the Brazil vs Argentina game. The same day, three hours later, United States plays against Canada. Over the next six days, every team will play against every other team in a round-robin format.
Every win counts as three points, teams get one point for a draw, while a loss brings no points. At the end, the team with the most points is the winner of the tournament. If two teams finish on equal points, the score difference will be the tie-breaker.
So, which team is most likely to win the 2021 SheBelieves Cup? Judging by their FIFA rankings, it goes like this:
- United States (FIFA Ranking: #1)
- Brazil (FIFA Ranking: #8)
- Canada (FIFA Ranking: #8)
- Argentina (FIFA Ranking: #31)
When released, SheBelieves Cup odds will probably follow the same pattern. The odds on the United States Women’s Team are likely to be the shortest of them all.
Best Options for SheBelieves Cup Betting
The most popular type of bet for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup is probably the tournament winner. This is a soccer outright bet, in which the bettor has to guess which of the four national teams will lift the trophy.
Another very popular wager type in SheBelieves Cup betting is the MVP. Which player is going to be awarded this award?
In 2021, we’re going to see many superstars of women’s soccer taking part in the tournament. For instance, according to Washington Post, it’s been confirmed that Alex Morgan and Christen Press will make their comeback to the USWNT roster. These ladies (especially Morgan) are considered crème de la crème of women’s soccer.
Apart from those two, coach Vlatko Andonovski has also invited Megan Rapinoe to Florida. The captain of the USWNT is coming to the tournament after winning the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot awards at the Women’s World Cup in 2019, which was the last major tournament she took part in before COVID-19 ruined put women’s soccer on pause.
Even though Rapinoe is turning 36 this year, she seems like the most likely candidate for the MVP award at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup.